Kindling of Ash
by JocelynBinden
Summary: Ash, having grown up an orphan within Pallet Town possesses a singular purpose in life: to prove he is worth something. Little does he know the consequences such a goal will have. AU, moderately realistic.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

Harsh orange flames flickered, towering through the inky black night, reaching upwards towards the heavens as if to declare anger at the futility of its own existence. No matter how far the fire expanded, no matter how much it destroyed, the flames were ultimately dooming themselves to a slow demise.

Above the crackling sizzling forest, a grizzled man stooped, perched atop one of the few landmarks south of the unconquerable Viridian forest. There was nothing especially noteworthy of the upraised rock jetting from the earth, it wasn't particularly tall or steep. Nay, its value lay in it being one of the precious few land formations which stood out against the gargantuan expanse of towering treeline from the sky. The League had long ago vanquished any hope of clearing out the Viridian Forest which expanded throughout the Palletian peninsula which was located south of Viridian City. As such the hill was primarily used to guide fliers to their destinations throughout Kanto. Not today, however.

The man's hair was a dark brown, his stubble was unkempt with flecks of grey sprinkled throughout. He had a rather large patch where hair was simply missing, leaving only blackened scalp in its place. His rather plain cotton shirt was riddled with red splotches and gashes exposing bare skin, yet the man did not seem perturbed with the state of himself- nor the blaze torching a path through the forest below, and the soot which coated the air.

His expression was stoic, the beginnings of wrinkles, smile lines, were revealed upon his face by the harsh orange light cast by the blaze across the skyline. There was no hint of a smile present, though. His eyes, on the other hand, gazed with a single-minded ferocity at a motionless, crumpled bundle mere feet in front of him. The bundle was obscured by the smoke which rose from below, but it was clear the man had already recognized what was hidden beneath.

"Delia…" came a hardly distinguishable croak, followed by a rasping cough The man, without turning his gaze from the bundle, spat at the ground a mix of soot, blood, and spit. The man's stoic expression slowly shattered, morphing into a crumpled, defeated expression. He had failed. In his haste to defeat _him, _he had lost sight of what truly mattered. _Delia._

A trembling hand made its way to a leather belt housing several straps which secured a red and white device with a button in the middle. The man, his eyes still solely focused on the bundle in front of him, grasped one of the balls and managed to press the button in the center despite the trembles which racked throughout his entire body and the tears which cleared soot and blood in streaks from his face before dropping impotently to the ground.

The ball expanded, emitting a blinding flash of red energy for hardly a moment before a massive presence which had not been there moments before was introduced. Massive wing beats displaced soot-filled air as a predator unlike any other took to the skies. A Charizard.

This Charizard was not a regular Charizard, however- not that any such monster could truly be called regular in the first place. It stood twice the height of an average member of its species, and the scales were covered with deep gouges, faded scars, and fresh wounds.

The dragon took in a deep breath, seeming to savor the soot within the atmosphere, then glanced rather arrogantly towards the blaze which raged below him for a moment, before realizing where he was. The beast's demeanor changed instantly, and he landed with a resounding rumble upon the hilltop. The Charizard glanced at his trainer's stooped form aloofly, but receiving no reaction, he stamped his clawed foreleg into the ground rather petulantly. When he still received no response, the dragon grew concerned.

Cautious eyes peered through the smoke and examined his trainer, taking in the minor wounds which peppered his body. It was nothing the trainer had not suffered plenty of times before. The Charizard glanced around before realizing the object his trainer was so focused on: a small bundle lying in front of him. The Charizard's snout snaked towards the bundle laid out before his trainer, inhaling a familiar scent. He nudged his snout softly into the bundle, careful of the force which he possessed.

Receiving no reaction, he nudged again, and again, and again.

The Charizard's demeanor, from prideful and arrogant, to obedient and concerned, once again morphed- this time to pure unadulterated rage. The temperature around the Charizard seemed to rise instantly, the air wavered around his scales, the dragon let out a single, solitary sound of terrifying proportions which echoed across the countryside- a roar filled with loss and anger, announcing its loss for everyone and everything to hear.

His trainer's mate was gone.

"Charizard, we must leave, we do not have much time." The trainer spoke for the second time, his voice was clearer now, the only remnants of the tears which had plagued him moments before were trails down his cheek free of the soot which covered him from head to toe. What truly stood out was the eyes- his eyes were hollow and dead.

Charizard glanced towards his trainer morosely, the pride which was so oftentimes associated with the beast entirely vacant. The dragon seemed to pause and consider the order, before hesitantly acquiescing and hunching over giving the trainer access to the harness strapped around his back. Charizards were not meant to be harnessed, they were not meant to be ridden, they were predators and their dominance was unparalleled, their pride even more so. Even Lance, the newly appointed champion of Kanto's Charizard would not tolerate his trainer harnessing him. This Charizard, however, was an exception.

The trainer boarded quickly, his hands going through the motions, tightening straps, double checking buckles, before finally patting Charizard's neck to signal takeoff. As the Charizard's leg muscles bulged and he finally leapt into the sky seeming to defy physics, another beast made itself known. This new sound, while loud, was much higher pitched, and inquisitive, perhaps even playful in nature, contrary to the rage imbued within the Charizard's prior roar. A much lighter shaded orange dragon zipped through the sky, nearly a blur, cradling a single figure against its body with the utmost care. It was none other than a Dragonite, illuminated by the orange-hued fire beneath.

This Dragonite was significantly smaller in both height and stature than the Charizard it hovered across from, but while the Charizard struggled to keep itself aloft with great flaps of its wings, the Dragonite floated nearly motionless within the air, her wings invisible to the naked eye. Dragonite, while fast, were not known to be as agile and quick as the one in front of the Charizard appeared to be, in fact, their temperament was only slightly less aggressive than the average Charizard, but once again, this Dragonite was not the norm.

The Charizard let out a roar of instinctive rage upon spotting the dragon across from him. Flame flew towards the beautiful petite dragon, uncontrolled and rage-filled, the blue flames surged towards the Dragonite but almost instantaneously it was reflected against a transparent green barrier: protect.

The man which was cradled against the dragon's body was the opposite of the trainer across from him. While the trainer was stocky, the man was frail, draped in an oversized lab coat, while the trainer was young, the man across from him's hair was nearly completely white, with the rare brown hair gracing his head. With all these differences in mind, however, there was one thing which the man had which the trainer lacked: presence. The man seemed to simply glower at the Charizard and immediately expunge any thought the deep orange scaled Dragon had of further retaliation.

"Keep that brute under control, Red, what has gotten into him?" The voice, unmistakably from one of considerable age, was still strong and commanding.

Red, the trainer on the Charizard, opened his mouth to answer, but words failed to materialize.

"I heard there had been a massive blaze spotted over Viridian and I knew you and Delia were headed-"

"Don't you dare say her name, Oak!" Emotion seemed to surge in waves from the trainer as he slammed his fist against his thigh in overwhelming, impotent rage.

Oak, his hand fidgeting nervously against the white lab coat, immediately softened his expression, "What happened here, Red?"

Red turned towards Oak, but his eyes didn't focus upon him, they were directed towards the fire beyond, reflecting the blaze in perfect, glassy-eyed clarity, "Oak..." the trainer paused, "we are no better than fire, we consume everything in our path to survive, thus dooming ourselves to an inevitable fate."

"Red, stop this nonsense." Oak's command was accompanied by a concerned trill as both he and his Dragonite focused their attention upon the troubled man before overwhelming anger which had been present mere moments before, was already gone, replaced with a disturbingly expressionless mask of stoicism.

That temporary distraction and evident concern on the Dragonite's part was enough for a slight gesture from Red to go unnoticed, and the Charizard burst into movement immediately, shooting a blue flame which crackled, immediately evaporating the moisture within the air around it, towards the dragon and the man who was cradled within the dragon's arms.

The Dragonite, caught by surprise and lacking time to summon a barrier, swiftly turned her back towards the flame, enveloping her trainer against the protective scales of her stomach as the flames rolled over her, damaging, but not coming close to disabling the nearly mythical dragon.

By the time the smoke had cleared, both the Charizard and trainer had vanished, and Oak stepped out onto the hill which Red had occupied moments before. Oak's eyes scanned the soot-filled sky to no avail. Doubtlessly it would be possible to track Red, but that boy was nothing if not stubborn. If he didn't wish to disclose what happened here, Oak would find out himself.

The first thing the Professor noticed was the bundle, the shape drawing his immediate attention and with a heavy heart, he knew what, or rather who, lay there. It all made perfect sense, yet he prayed his intuition was wrong. With shaking arms Oak turned the petite bundle over revealing a pale, slender face, framed by brunette hair which even now seemed to reflect the fire firelight. Two pinpricks of red upon her neck were all that hinted towards her demise. Oak, ignoring the injury, gazed into her empty eyes which just hours earlier had viewed the world with an unparalleled vibrancy, a vicious intelligence, and an undeserving love- needless to say, they no longer did.

Oak's head dropped towards the ground, droplets of water slamming against the stone beneath. Delia, his protege, and wife to a man Oak considered his own son, was dead. Despite the blaze burning below, an unearthly silence seemed to descend upon the forlorn rock. Oak, lost in his thoughts did not notice, but the Dragonite standing behind him glanced around cautiously.

The silence continued, it was as if the sound had been removed from the earth, and even the buzz of pure silence seemed to be absent. Oak, finally removed from his stupor glanced around, confused for a moment, before standing and gripping one of the Pokeballs within his lab coat. Dragonite, not liking the odd feeling which staring at the massive blaze below her, yet not hearing it caused turned back towards her trainer.

As she did so a nearly indistinguishable blur of movement caught her eye, the Dragon turned towards it, as did her trainer, reacting to her movement, but it was gone, and the sound was back, the cackling of the thousands of burning trees below, the chirp of fleeing pidgey, an annoying high pitched whining-_ wait what_?

The Dragonite glanced towards her trainer, noticing the large bundle was still lying motionless on the ground, but now in her friend's hand was a much smaller bundle, squirming around, and emanating disturbingly high pitched sounds which hurt the Dragon's sensitive ears.

"Look here, Saph, it is a miracle is it not?"

The Dragonite took one step lumbering step forward and looked from her height, a head or so above Oak, down at the scrunched up face that only human babies had and let out a trill of agreement. Oak a smile now on his face, although it did not reach the eyes, poked the baby in the nose, eliciting another set of whining much to his Dragonite's discontent.

A sudden frown crossed his face, and Oak was serious once again, glancing towards his Pokemon.

"Delia was not pregnant, was she?"

Many maternal Pokemon possessed the ability to simply smell if a woman, or another pokemon, was pregnant, and the female Dragonite was not an exception. The Dragonite shook her orange scaled head, responding to the negative, causing Oak to nod jerkily.

"Well, we aren't to question the bidding of the gods, hm?" Oak questioned, now humming to himself.

The moment of concern from Oak had passed, and a bittersweet smile was once again present on Oak's face.

The grizzled professor stood on the rocky outcropping, looking over the once brilliantly green-hued forest, which was now indecipherable amongst the inky clouds of black which rose from the dying blazes. In that singular moment, what Red had said moments before resonated a morbid truth within Oak. Humans were no different than fire, consuming everything in their path and leaving only the remnants of their destruction behind.

"I think he shall be called Ash."

And thus it began.

**A/N: **

**Just to iterate, this world does vary from the traditional in several aspects. Oak, Red, and Delia all play signficantly different roles in the story, or none at all. I hope to illustrate these characters as people- not as the one dimensional characters they are often portrayed as, while staying true to their character in the anime/games/other fanfiction.**


	2. New Beginnings

_**Previously: **The grizzled professor stood on the rocky outcropping, looking over the once brilliantly _green hued_ forest, which was now indecipherable amongst the inky clouds of black which rose from the _dying_ blazes. In that singular moment, what Red had said moments before resonated a morbid truth within Oak. Humans were no different than fire, consuming everything in their path and leaving only the remnants of their destruction behind._

_"I think he shall be called Ash."_

_And thus it began_.

* * *

Oak, surrounded by massive, towering blackened trunks which even now Machoke and Machamp were tearing down and dragging away, stared into the starlit sky. He had reported the fire to the league, and Lance, seeing the opportunity for further expansion had jumped upon it with considerable gusto. The blaze had burnt down enough of the forest to make it possible for a path to be forged between Viridian and the southern part of the Palletian peninsula, which would provide a new frontier for Kanto.

None of this was currently on Oak's mind, however.

The gall of that Blackthorn.

* * *

Days prior, a man bordering on freakishly tall, garbed in an outrageously voguish cape held on by a golden chain, stood atop the rock which merely hours ago had been the sight of Delia's death. Oak wished nothing more than to leave, but when the champion called, you answered.

"You still haven't given me a concrete answer about what happened here, Oak."

Lance's voice had a smooth, addicting quality about it which seeped into the listener, making them feel an inexplicable desire to do as the Champion wished. One reason he made such a unifying ruler, Oak supposed.

"I've told you, I came here after detecting the blaze and immediately reported to the league, as per protocol." Oak winced internally, his claim was rife with gaps and wouldn't hold up to any extended scrutiny.

Lance knew this as well if his dangerously sharp gaze towards Oak was anything to go by. The Champion let out a deep sigh, propping his head against his hand for a moment, before looking up towards Oak, the tension previously present within the Champion gone.

"You have served the League, and society well, Oak, even if you did have a particular," he paused, searching for the right words, "... fondness for the traitor, Red."

Lance's lips upturned at his own mention of Red and a somewhat predatory gleam entered his eyes. Oak opened his mouth to defend himself, but the Champion silenced him with a wave of his arm any sign of aggression gone once again.

"We have gone over Red a few times before, it will not help to do so again. Regardless, I have little time so I will make my request short, it is time for you to retire, you have dedicated your life to our society, and the league, it is time you rest, spend time with your grandson, Gary is his name- if my memory recalls."

Oak pondered if the mention of his family was a subtle threat or genuine concern, he and the champion had only brief correspondence before, and while both advocated for a peaceful diplomatic approach towards other regions, their views rarely coincided elsewhere. Oak hadn't expected this request so soon, but retirement wasn't entirely unexpected either.

The Champion, mistaking Oak's lack of response as interest continued, "Of course, this retirement would leave you free to do as you wish, but..."

Oak merely glowered at where the conversation was going as the Champion paused momentarily, glancing down towards a tree that had just collapsed in a storm of crackling embers. The professor, too exhausted by the events prior to formulate a meaningful response, simply listened. He was getting old, a fact his body made him more aware of every day.

"Start the first settlement south of Viridian." Oak stared incredulously, confusion quickly making way to anger, "you are an accomplished trainer, and an even more accomplished professor, your reputation is widely known- and people will feel safe to expand southward."

Oak finally had enough, anger coursed through his ailing body, giving him newfound energy. Not only was this man essentially forcing him to retire, abandoning his decades of work, but he also expected him to go quietly and continue to do his bidding.

"I will not become a League pawn that is used to enf-" Oak suddenly was bent over as a wracking cough nearly forced the beleaguered professor to his knees.

The Champion's expression flashed too quickly to decipher, before returning to the impassive mask of stone it was prior. Oak burned with shame. Lance cut off Oak's coughing, "The League will not interfere nor require anything of you, there will no sanctioned league influence here until you have passed away, you will have autonomy, and be free to do as you please. Your integrity is ironclad from what I have heard, and you are trusted to not abuse your power."

Oak's mind reeled in confusion, why would the Champion do such a thing? It was entirely contrary to his aggressiveness in expansion throughout Kanto. Lance, to Oak's knowledge, was single-minded in his goal to settle and consolidate the entirety of the region.

Lance registered his confusion, "I know, this is rather unlike me."

The champion paced back and forth formulating words, "I did not consider this avenue until very recently, but you must understand, you must." The champion licked his lips, indecision, and hesitation preventing him from going further, but nonetheless, he forced himself to continue, "There are forces even beyond the League's control, and I do not wish to be spread thinner than we already are."

The Champion clearly wished to continue, but a harsh beeping emitted from a screen on his wrist, with a single look at it, Lance withdrew a Pokeball, and turned back towards Oak, "I look forward to seeing the settlement's plans… Pallet Town has a nice ring to it, does it not?"

* * *

Oak, snapping himself out of his recollection, had to admit to himself, the Champion did know how to make an offer the aging professor couldn't refuse. He still had several underlying questions that were not answered, but these questions could be placed on the backburner for the moment. There was a much more pressing issue at hand.

"Alakazam, show yourself." A patch of burnt forest simmered for a moment behind Oak before seeming to slide off the golden bipedal creature with a glorious mustache. If one were to look closely they would see the creature had small, fine golden hairs covering its body, but from afar it seemed to be a brilliant shining gold. Oddly, there was a bundle of blankets which was emitting a high pitched whining suspended in mid-air next to Alakazam.

"_This… creature is most annoying, Master"_

Oak did not know where he would be if not for the companionship of his Alakazam during his younger years. Yet, no matter how many experiences they had together, or times he had asked the psychic type to stop, the psychic type refused to stop referring to him as 'master'.

"You are one crotchety beast, my friend, it is a baby." Oak admonished absentmindedly

Alakazam's only response was to levitate the bundle towards the Professor. After being cuddled against Oak's chest the baby grew silent and fell into a swift slumber. This bundle of warmth was the most pressing matter. Oak was no stranger to raising a child, he had raised one of his own, and as he liked to consider, adopted one as well, and soon would be a Grandpa.

If it was as simple a choice between raising Delia and Red's son, there wouldn't have been a single thought to the contrary within Oak's mind. However, the problem was not that straightforward. Red, misguided as usual, was gone and had not known about this mysterious child, nor had anyone known Delia was pregnant- because she was not, as Dragonite attested to. Ash's presence arose many more questions within Oak, but he brushed them aside. His curiosity would be satisfied later.

The fact no one had heard Delia was pregnant gave Oak some leeway, an unannounced baby would not immediately arouse suspicion from the league, but Oak was a highly publicized figure, and would continue to be so for the foreseeable future as the sole jurisdiction over the soon to be constructed settlement, as Lance had suggested, Pallet Town.

Lance, however unlikely it may be, could hear of this child eventually, and when coincided with Delia's death and Red's disappearance it would be a simple jump of was no doubt in Oak's mind that Ash would be used as blackmail to make Red answer for what his supposed crimes, or even worse. The Champion was many things, but dull was not one of them. The fact the baby already had brown, bordering on black hair sprouting from his head did not help matters either. Oak bittersweetly smiled at the resemblance he already bore towards his father.

He could not abandon the boy, that was out of the question, he would not fail Red, nor Delia, yet directly raising the boy would be potentially even more dangerous for the child.

Oak grimaced, there was only one option.

Thus, the first building constructed in Pallet Town was the Oak Orphanage.

* * *

Pallet town was a queer place, by Kanto standards. While nearly every other city within the region was rapidly expanding and modernizing, Pallet was filled with brick or wooden structures- the majority of which did not have more than one story. Atop a hill which rose above the gently winding plains around it, only interrupted by the occasional stump of a long forgotten husk of a tree, laid the only real modern structure within Pallet.

Oak Laboratory, a place where the original Pokedex had been invented, and where Samuel Oak had cemented his place as one of, if not the most influential researchers in the history of Kanto. It employed the majority of those who worked within the small town, which was not many. Most people in Pallet simply sought to provide for themselves and their family. Food, water, shelter. The league's currency was less important in Pallet than perhaps anywhere else in Kanto.

Off the shore of the southern end of the Palletian peninsula lay the Cinnabar Ocean, one day there would be a port constructed in Pallet town providing the southern archipelagos much quicker access to mainland Kanto. But for now, Pallet was simply not developed enough.

Despite being home to many of the scourge of society within Kanto: exiles, criminals, researchers seeking to make a discovery on the edge of society, and even a few runaway lovers. The town was peaceful, and if one were to disturb the peace they swiftly seemed to disappear, or become a changed man. Many attributed this to Oak.

Pallet Town was also home to one of the only orphanages and Kanto, one such boy was named Ash.

A boy, a mop of uncontrolled black hair being blown each and every way, raced throughout the streets of Pallet, footsteps not far behind him. Just a bit further and he would be on the outskirts of the town, Gary and his goons still refused to follow him out to where wild Pokemon could be found. To be fair, he wouldn't either if he had been trapped by a Caterpie's web overnight. The boy snickered in spite of the situation he was in.

That momentary lapse in concentration was unfortunate, as the boy's foot came down onto a root which emerged from the dirt path beneath and twisted at a sickening angle. The teen fell into a crumpled heap, knocking the breath from him and scraping his hands against the sprinkled pebbles throughout the dirt path.

He forced himself to his feet and tried to continue running, even as the footsteps and laughter drew closer, but it was not to be. He fell back to the ground, the pain in his ankle was too severe. He stared down at his ankle, probing it with his hands, the boy didn't think it was broken, just sprained, but to be fair, what did he know about ankle injuries?

The boy hobbled to his feet, and stared towards the figures approaching him, now at a leisurely walk after having noticed the boy's situation, snide laughter was galore. There were only three boys including Gary today, likely due to many of the children staying home to study for the Pokemon Training exams. The exams determined who would be sponsored by their regional jurisdictor, in prospective trainers from Pallet and thus Ash's case, it was Professor Oak. In many of the more populated and developed regions of Kanto, jurisdictors were gym leaders. Passing the exam allowed the trainer to receive their choice of starter from the Pokemon which their jusrisdictor provided. Those with the highest scores had priority in choosing their Pokemon, and those who didn't pass were forced to either wait another year or go into a different field apart from Pokemon training.

While it was possible to obtain a trainer's license without passing the exam, it was exceedingly rare and was only given out in very unique cases by approved league personnel.

He had no question he would be able to pass the exam, and finally be free to escape the orphanage, although, if he were honest with himself, he would miss Lucretia. She was stern, but fair, and had patched him up more times than he could count.

The thought of Lucretia caused him to take a cursory look over his clothes and sighed as he noticed the massive tear which exposed his knee to the air. Maybe it was a good thing the exams were tomorrow he thought to himself with a wry grin, if he stayed at the orphanage any longer he would have to deal with weeks of Lucretia's anger- that woman knew how to hold a grudge.

"Hey, Ashy-boy, taking a tumble, I see!" exclaimed a boy only slightly taller Ash but much larger in stature, with light brown hair swept up as if in a permanent windblown state. Ash hated that voice, it was snide, it was contemptuous, but above all, Gary was the grandson of Samuel Oak, a man Ash admired above all others.

So much for a peaceful few hours of relaxing before the biggest day of his life.

Ash, warily, glanced at the three boys standing only feet away on the dirt path. Fake smiles, or perhaps they were genuine in a sadistic way, were mirrored across all three, "What do you want, Gary?"

"You wound me, pal!" Gary's fake cheer dripped through each word, but Ash was accustomed to it, "Is it a crime to ask how you are going to do on the aptitude exam?"

Ash sighed, his ankle was really starting to ache. The boys had rarely resorted to physical violence, but dirty tricks and embarrassment were all too common. Ash had long ago learned to watch out for himself, no one else did so, after all.

"I don't have time for these games today, Gary, what do you really want?" Ash tiredly questioned.

Gary's grin shrunk into a devilish smirk; "I was telling the truth, Ashy!"

The two stocky boys of whom Ash could hardly recall their names accompanying Gary laughed uproariously and Ash's gut turned to lead as he saw what they were holding. Gary slowly drew the rope out and languishly turned it around in his hands before winking at Ash.

"How are you going to pass if you won't be there?"

That was how Ash found himself tied up and deposited slightly off to the side of a scarcely traveled path on the outskirts of Pallet town. Wild pokemon this close to the town were no threat, Ash had made friends- or tried to, with many of them in his free time, having to hide in places such as where he now found himself in order to escape Gary.

No, the reason the young teen was shaking with rage was that the exam was not something which could be taken on a whim, there was one testing date per town per year, and it was non-negotiable. If a trainer were to miss his testing date, no matter the reason, they were forced to wait another year to take the aptitude exam. Perhaps if he had lived in an upscale city the League would be more accommodating but as this was the frontier, he had little hope of making it in time unless he managed to free himself.

Ash strained against the binds until his wrists felt like they would snap until they were chapped and raw. He tried to rub the rope against the bark had some success fraying the rope, but the progress was negligible compared to the thickness of the strands.

He had screamed until his voice was raw, but it did little to penetrate the cloth which was roughly tied around his mouth, not that if anyone had heard they were likely to approach a stranger screaming in the forest anyhow. The frontier was a place filled with exiles and many oddities. Professor Oak managed to keep most of them in line, but still, it was not a place to push your luck.

He would hopefully be found eventually, but time was not on his side.

As the sun drew lower and lower, as his stomach grumbles increased in intensity, a desperate thirst, and as the overwhelming urge to pee overcame Ash, he finally capitulated.

It was foolish after all, his dreams of training and becoming better than Gary and proving himself worthy of this existence. He was nothing other than an orphan, and Gary was the son of the most accomplished Pokemon Professor in modern history and a past member of the elite four to top it off. All the times Ash had vied desperately with the other occupants at the orphanage for a spot nearest to the television to watch Lance, the dragon master face off against other members of the elite four or the rare challenger. The many times Ash had desperately tried to get wild Pidgey to follow his bidding, or the hours of preparation Ash had put forth for the rare simulation battles which were the best parts of his education. Each of these were likely for naught- at least for another year.

The dreams of one day standing in front of his tormentors, proving Gary, and all the other occupants of Pallet that he was more than a simple orphan had burned deeply within Ash. Now, it was faltering, a flame sputtering and dying leaving only ash behind.

As Ash's hope that had imbued him merely hours before faded away, drifting further and further away, so too did his consciousness as he fell into a deep sleep, surrounded by nature and the chirping of wild pokemon.

He awoke to a curious squawking and painful brightness. Ash blearily glanced around, his throat ached for water, and he instinctively tried to stand only to collapse as the ropes skewed his balance.

It was such a nice dream too, Ash thought.

_Squawk_

Ash startled, his head snapping up towards the bird in front of him. Ash had seen plenty of Pidgey before, even the occasional Pidgeotto during his time studying in Oak's Flaura, but this magnificent creature was something beyond all of them.

A Pidgeot, beautifully pruned feathers reflected the early morning light, and the crest was a collage of gold and red, combining to form a brilliant mane which contrasted the sharp bronze beak, and a sharp pair of eyes. Not even the Pidgeot he had seen on the televised conference battles compared to this beauty.

It took Ash a moment to snap out of the mystified shock at being near such a creature and realize that this entity was chirping at him, and rather exasperatedly.

"Don't eat me, I'm skinny I swear!" Ash protested desperately, drawing the only logical conclusion.

The bird's chirp grew even more offended at the thought of her deeming to eat something as lowly as a simple human. After a moment of consideration, her wings began to grow a bright white. Ash started towards the wings in a delirious shock, first, he was trapped in a forest on his lonesome without food and water, doomed to postpone his journey for yet another year, and now he was about to be skewered alive by the most magnificent Pidgeot he had ever seen.

Ash squinted his eyes closed, the lack of water and food must be catching up to him, he thought.

"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real." Ash chanted over and over again. He felt a soft brush of displaced air and opened his eyes.

The Pidgeot was gone as if she had never been there, but that was not on Ash's mind. The constraints which had been digging into his wrists and his feet were Pidgeot must have cut him loose. He was free! Ash stared dumbly at the ground for a moment confused why the bird would do such a thing, before realizing he could still make the exam.

Despite the lack of food and water and an ankle which was still aching, Ash took off at a manic pace back towards the village. Adrenaline pounded through his blood, rendering pain, dehydration, and exhaustion to mere annoyances. Judging by the sun, he still had time, but he wasn't entirely sure. He ran as he had never run before, taking corners recklessly, leaping over potholes and roots, trying to reach the Professor's lab in time.

His ankle throbbed, and sent blasts of sharp pain, but it failed to penetrate the adrenaline coursing through the boy's veins.

He was cresting the rather steep hill which led to the Professor's laboratory when he viewed the collection of teens outside the doors of the Professor's lab, and relief seeped through Ash. He would make it! Gary's plan wouldn't work, and after he passed the exam he would be able to protect himself from being put into such a situation ever again.

It was not to be. Almost as soon as Ash had crested the hill, only a few hundred meters from the doors of Oak's laboratory, they opened and the students filed in, Ash put on a last burst of speed trying to make it there, perhaps if he were only a few seconds late they would make an exception.

Any of that hope was dashed seconds later as a shooting pain penetrated the single-minded fog which obscured Ash's mind, snapping him out of the adrenaline high he had been in. He stumbled to the ground. His ankle had given out on him once again, reaggravating the previous injury. Ash stared towards the laboratory, but he did not see. Ash's mind was elsewhere, the dreams which had been hastily rebuilt after being freed were as easily crushed in a matter of minutes. He stared down at his torn, mud covered pants, and hobbled to his feet.

Back to the orphanage. It was just one year after all.

"Just a year.." The boy whispered to himself staring out over the Pokemon inhabited Flora which encompassed acres of land which the Professor had said were once nothing other burnt remnants of the southern portion of the Viridian forest. Tears threatened to leak out, but Ash refused to let them.

He had not cried when he broke his arm after Gary had "accidentally" pushed him out of a tree, nor had he cried when his fellow peers were showered with accolades and love from their parents when he himself had none.

He would not cry over a year of his life being wasted.

Instead, he focused on the beauty of these great creatures which inhabited the flora. Oak's Arcanine bounded across the grass-covered fields, a gaggle of Growlithe yipping behind her.A group of water pokemon shot jets of water across a pond with loud cacophonies of competitive squeals. Roars, squeals, and everything between combined to form a single symphony which resonated within Ash.

The flora truly was a magnificent sight. It had taken over a decade of work and preparation to come to fruition. The breeding and careful micromanaging of terrain and dietary resources to create an environment which in many ways went entirely contrary to the very nature of the Pokemon who resided there was incredible.

To Ash at the moment, however, it was a bittersweet beauty. The magnificent sight before him only served to remind him of what he would be missing for a whole year. True, the wild was rarely as beautiful as Oak's flora, but the struggle to survive amidst an ever-changing landscape possessed an unknown allure Ash had never experienced before, yet he thirsted for such a challenge.

Letting out one last sigh, the teenaged boy began a long walk back towards the Orphanage, the Oak Laboratory was a considerable distance from the townshend itself and the journey was made even longer as he was forced to hobble, heavily favoring one leg.

"Ash, what are you doing out here?" a grizzled voice, one Ash knew and respected snapped the boy from his musings.

"Professor Oak, sir," he paused awkwardly, "I am sorry, I was late to the exam."

"Professor Oak, sir," Delia's son paused awkwardly, "I am sorry, I was late to the exam."

It was almost painful how much the boy resembled his mother, the only difference being the masculine features and the hair, which was unruly just like Red's had been. Oak had not heard from Red since that fateful day and had long since lost any hope of finding him. Even worse, he was forced to stay distant from Delia's and Red's only remnant for the boy's own safety.

Of course, he did take precautions, he had hand chosen the warden of his orphanage and carefully monitored the boy's studies, his character, and while quiet and preferring his own company he seemed to be a normal boy. His test scores were nothing special, but certainly, enough to pass the exam. That was if he had bothered to show up.

Admittedly, Oak regretted not taking a closer interest in the boy's life, but perhaps doing so was for the best.

After the initial confusion of seeing Delia's son here, when he should be inside taking the test, the professor's brain began to whirl. Oak could potentially convince the league to allow the boy to take the exam at a later date but doing so would draw too much attention towards Ash. Which would entirely contradict the very reason he had hidden his connection to Ash in the first place for the last decade and a half. Besides, if the boy didn't care enough to arrive at the aptitude test on time, he deserved to stay in the town for another year.

"I am sorry, my boy... " the professor paused, genuine regret seeping into his voice, "my hands are tied, I cannot interfere with the test once it has begun."

"It's all right, Professor, I understand." The boy, dejectedly turned his head down and began walking away, and Oak's vision, decaying as it was, noticed the odd gait he was walking in, and the Professor turned his ailing eyes towards the rest of the boy he considered a grandson- even if Ash himself would never know.

Mud covered the boy's jeans, and a hole exposed his knee, his wrists were pink and raw, and he was clearly favoring one leg. What was the meaning of this?

The Professor called out questioningly, "Ash, you're a mess, what happened to you?"

The boy rubbed his hand through his hair, a pink hue coloring his cheeks.

"I was just clumsy and fell on my way here, Professor.." The boy was a horrible liar.

At that very moment, Oak felt a soft brush within his mind, he recognized immediately as Alakazam. The psychic, sensing his recognition, forged a complete psychic connection, and Oak's eyes lit up in a brilliant white, the sign of a full-fledged connection.

It took a moment to regain his bearings as another creature's memory played within his mind through Alakazam's connection. The Professor quickly recognized it was his own Pidgeot, sailing over Pallett, miles above the canopy of trees and houses beneath, it was beautiful, if he could say so without being overly prideful. The flying continued for a few moments and Oak grew impatient, even though on the outside world nearly no time had passed, he was eager to find out what had truly happened to young Ash.

Little did Oak know the answer would shortly be revealed.

An indistinguishable flash of color near one path which snaked near the forest on the outskirts of Pallet drew the sharp eyes of Pidgeot. Letting out a curious chirp, the massive avian dived, accelerating to an exhilarating degree within seconds, causing Oak's head to spin, even though it was simply a memory.

To think he had once ridden atop such a magnificent beast, and now he could hardly watch a memory of her flight, Oak ridiculed his own state.

Shortly, the bird perched in the upper branches staring downwards towards a crumpled figure lying dejectedly against a tree. It took Oak only a moment to recognize Ash's trademark deep brown, messy hair. The Pidgeot perched on the tree, chirping before growing impatient and casually gliding to the ground next to Ash.

Oak took in the form of his charge, and immediately decided he had seen all he needed to, his anger severed the psychic connection and he immediately strode down the path, his long, purposeful strides quickly overtaking Ash's own.

Ash strode down the path back towards the orphanage, dejected, self-deprecating thoughts circling throughout his mind. He was interrupted from his musings as a hand gripped his shoulder squeezing almost painfully.

The teen turned his head back, recognizing Professor Oak, but as he had rarely seen him before. Other than the time his Dragonite had struck down a migrating Salamence for invading her nesting area, nearly damaging the Lab in the process.

The Professor relaxed his grip, relieving the pressure which had been digging into his shoulder, he drew in a calming breath, and softly lifted his hand up, gesturing to the nasty rope burns indented into his wrist.

"Who did this to you?"

There was a subtle anger present imbued within the question, seeming to permeate the air around the Professor who had seemed younger than Ash had ever seen him. The boy fidgeted, clearly wary to confide to Oak. Not that he had given Ash any reason to, Oak argued internally.

"It isn't a big deal, sir." Ash responded, "I have dealt with it for a while, it usually isn't this bad."

Ash didn't need the Professor to protect him, neither did the teen wish to tell the man his grandson was behind the incidents.

While angry before, the professor was dumb shocked by the fact that Ash had just told him he had been dealing with this type of abuse for his entire life. How had he missed this? He was engaged in his work, and not always monitoring Ash's life, but he had put into place a woman he had trusted in the Orphanage, she should have reported back to him about these incidents. Come to think of it, perhaps he had just overlooked the subtle signs.

He was growing old.

Oak's anger burned internally. He would find out who did this, whether Delia's son would confide in him or not. It would do no good to force the boy to tell him, the professor had other ways to find out.

The aging man let out a deep sigh, his decision made. He had failed the boy, he had failed Delia and Red. He must make amends, once more. Even if these amends would quite possibly ruin any hope Oak had for establishing a relationship with the boy.

"You may hate me for what I'm going to say." Oak said, resigned to this conversation, "I've never been one to beat around the bush," Oak pursed his lips before continuing, "I knew your parents, Ash."

Ash's initial confusion, he could never hate Professor Oak, quickly gave way. The boy's world paused for a moment. His parents? He had grown up thinking he had either been abandoned or they had died in some freak accident. Why had the Professor not told him? He stared uncomprehendingly at Oak.

"They were two of the most vibrant people I have ever known. You have your mother's eyes, the way they sparkled when considering a new ide-" Oak was cut off.

"Why did you keep this from me?" Ash did not yell, his voice simply laid bare, his view on the idol for an entire life collapsing.

Oak grimaced, knowing he couldn't answer in full, "I wanted to, Ash, but you must understand I couldn't."

"Why not?!" Ash's voice was now yelling, spooking a few surrounding Pidgey into flight from the surrounding branches.

"I can't tell you that either, my boy, I am truly sorry."

Ash paused, clenching his fists, eyes watering, and for the first time since he could remember tears fell from his eyes.. He did not respond to the Professor and instead took off down the road towards the orphanage as fast as the injury to his ankle would allow.

Oak sighed sorrowfully, and looked over the flora, not unlike Ash had been doing when he had originally been approached by the professor.

It was time to contact an old friend of his.

* * *

**A/N: I received a few questions about Red's disappearance, and as aforementioned, Red does not know of Ash's birth- or should we say appearance. I don't have a beta, so I am sure I missed a fair number of things reading through it - don't judge too harshly. (:**

**I have around 30k of this story written already, much of it is unedited. This is my first Pokemon fanfiction so I am struggling with training scenes, etc, without making them drag on and not contribute anything to the plot. **

**Also- a version of the Kanto map which is fairly close to the one in my head can be found on my profile.**


End file.
